


Vacation

by Fabrisse



Series: Rebuilding the Table [11]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:59:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9490091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: After Eggsy recovers from the events in the storyRebuilding the Table, he's ordered to take a break.  Merlin comes with him.  Somewhat fluffy.  It will earn its rating in later chapters.





	1. The start

**Author's Note:**

> Back at Halloween, the Rounds of Kink community had its usual prompts. I thought this would be a fast story, but it's ended up as a slow one, hence why it's going up nearer to Valentine's Day than Halloween. The prompt I picked up was outdoor sex/risk of discovery. There will be at least three chapters and possibly as many as five.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mandated vacation.

“I’ll handle this,” Merlin said.

Eggsy glared at him. “I’m fit. They’ve said so. Even the trick-cyclists said so. Why can’t I go back to work?”

“Because you’re wound tighter than a guitar string that’s about to snap. And, for pity’s sake, so am I. Arthur ordered me to take at least three weeks, too. Some of it’s a thank you, but it’s mostly a ‘get out of our hair until you stop acting like a bear with a sore paw.’ Though, to give him credit, he was much subtler than that.” Merlin smiled at Eggsy’s unexpected laughter.

“So, we both have three weeks?”

“With an option to extend if there’s nothing pressing, and our tech with us in case something comes up while we’re doing whatever sounds good.”

“An’ it’s not that they’re worried I’m goin’ to snap on ‘em?”

Merlin said, “If I’m perfectly honest, that’s part of it. There’s a reason we separate medical leave, which you’ve completed, from vacation time, which you haven’t taken. We all need time to, what’s the modern term, ‘veg out?’”

Eggsy chuckled quietly. “Not a term I’ve heard outside an American movie, but I appreciate the attempt, ‘Daddy-o.’”

“Ah.” Merlin laughed softly, too.

“So do I get to pick what we do?”

“As long as I have veto. Let’s talk about it tonight at home,” there was an added warmth as he used that word. They’d only combined their living quarters two weeks earlier and it took Merlin by surprise that something so simple meant so very much.

“At home, then.” Eggsy leaned in to kiss Merlin, but caught himself before the cameras could see anything. “Think I liked it better when no one knew. We could find quiet spots to kiss and cuddle then.”

“Really?” Merlin had obviously taken the words seriously.

“No, love. I want everyone to know you picked me. Missin’ a kiss or two at the office’s worth it for them to know.”

Merlin brightened and stood up. “Then tonight, at home, we’ll figure out what to do for three weeks.”

***  
“Are you sure?” Merlin asked.

“Been thinkin’ all day. I know Stockholm and Istanbul nearly as well as I know London at this point. Been to Brussels and Paris, though I know Paris better through Roxy’s glasses than on me own. I’ve even gone to Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina plus most of the English speakin’ world after V-Day workin’ with Caradoc. But I don’t know Britain much outside of London and the training camp at Devon, though I think I’ll give the Lake District a miss for awhile.”

Merlin nodded.

“I want to know you better. So show me this boarding school that’s worse than Marine training, and Edinburgh where you got your advanced degrees and Cambridge where you studied maths for three years and… your two other favorite places in the British Isles.”

“And if one of those is the Lake District?” Merlin asked teasingly.

Eggsy shuddered, “Then we’ll negotiate.”

Merlin smiled and sipped his scotch. “You needn’t worry. Let’s start with one of my favorite places to go to get away from everything for a few days, and then we’ll go to Cambridge, Edinburgh… I’ll figure out where to stay on the Moray Firth for Gordonstoun, and by then I’ll have had time to think about where to go as my other favorite place in the British Isles.”

Eggsy said, “Sounds perfect, my love, when do we leave?”

“Wednesday of next week. That lets me get everything coordinated at the office for a long break.”

“I’ll run the obstacle course and whatever else the docs will let me do until then.” He thought for a moment. “You workin’ on Sunday? Because it’s time you met Mum and Daisy, I think. I need to see them if I’m gonna be gone for a few weeks.”

“Unless something blows up, and pray God _that’s_ not literal, Sunday lunch should be fine. I look forward to meeting Daisy.”

“Not Mum?”

“I don’t know how she’ll react to our age difference,” Merlin said with a shrug.

Eggsy just shook his head. “All right, I’ll call them about Sunday. You’ll clear everything you can for Wednesday. And we’re gone for at least three weeks. We have a plan.”

“And it starts with going to bed now.”

***  
It was their third day, driving back from Bath to the hotel in Wells, that Eggsy felt something release in himself all the way down to his bones. No one here knew them, and they could just walk around Bath, or wherever, and be themselves. 

He’d found out a great deal about Merlin, not by talking, though of course they’d done a great deal of that in the car, but more by seeing what fascinated him at each place they’d stopped.

At Bath, the actual Roman engineering had been the draw as much as the eighteenth century history. Glastonbury Tor and the remnants of Glastonbury Abbey on the first day had been the history of the land and connections to mythology that Eggsy, frankly, had no idea existed, which was embarrassing since he now had the codename of a knight of the roundtable. He had asked if they would see the Cerne Abbas Giant at any point since he wanted to see a fifteen foot willie. Merlin had pretended not to be amused for nearly five minutes before bursting into laughter. 

But it felt like Wells, the cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace, had really shown him Merlin. The city itself was tiny and so very quiet, but the cathedral was a marvel of engineering with its scissor arch. Listening to Merlin speak admiringly of some long-dead engineer’s solution to the problem of a too-weighty tower felt like a genuine insight into how his lover’s mind worked.

They’d found a cheap Chinese restaurant near the bus stop and talked about history. That night, in the huge bed at their posh hotel, they’d made love quietly with the hush of the cathedral close on the other side of their window. 


	2. Cambridge and the journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Wells to Cambridge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to various websites, including Wikipedia, for the information in the chapter.

Merlin believed in fairness, so they’d spent a night and most of a day in Oxford before heading up to Cambridge. Merlin was apparently a friend of the Master of Christ’s College, his alma mater, so he’d been invited to stay with her, and he and Eggsy would be joining the college at High Table for dinner on their second night there as they planned to arrive late on their first day.

The trip between the two led them past Bletchley Park, and Merlin was happier than he cared to admit that Eggsy wanted to stop and see it, since they had no fixed plans. For two hours, Merlin answered Eggsy’s questions about code breaking, what was right and wrong in the movies he’d seen about the Enigma, and the decisions about how to act (and when not to act) on the intelligence they received. As always, he was amazed at the width and breadth of Eggsy’s questions.

“What is it?” Eggsy asked, as they wandered out of Hut 12.

“Kicking myself for -- I was about to say for trusting Harry, but that’s not it. Kicking myself for not doing some follow-up on your family when your mother didn’t used the medal code.”

“What do you need to kick about?”

Merlin said, “Your education.”

“Nah. I might have somethin’ against you for not letting me keep on with gymnastics, but I was never that interested in study.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow and said, “Really? After the quizzing I just got?”

“I’m interested in the world. History a bit, but mostly just how things fit together. Now I can see that maybe trying for university or just following the open university would have been a good thing to do, but then, I’d’ve laughed.”

“And now? If you had the opportunity?”

“Would I go to uni?”

Merlin nodded.

“Answer me a serious question, what would university give me that I don’t already have? I mean besides the ability to write a couple of letters after my name to get some respect.”

Merlin did him the honor of taking the request seriously while Eggsy got them each a 99 Flake to nibble. As they sat on a bench and ate, Merlin said, “I suppose the real answer is a framework. The university promotes a way of questioning and thinking that allows ideas to be organized. Having been through it, I think that gives graduates a way of communicating, even across disciplines, which isn’t there for people who are either wild talents or just interested in a subject. I think that’s some of the prejudice you face within Kingsman -- not that most of them have good degrees, most are thirds -- but they don’t know how you think.”

“Sure that’s just not class playin’ out? They had nannies and tutors and Eton or wherever and don’t, won’t, or can’t understand someone who scrabbled through a second rate comprehensive to do well on his GCSEs. Did any of them take GCSEs rather than O levels?”

“A few. I think all of them took A levels, which you didn’t, because they were planning on some form of university.”

Eggsy bumped Merlin with his shoulder. “Who do you think got the best education out of the table?”

“Currently, I’d say it’s a three way tie among Percival, Tristan, and Lancelot. Before Roxy joined us, I’d have said, Percival and Tristan with Harry coming in a close third.”

“Really? Any of that because Roxy’s Cambridge, too?”

“No. Harry couldn’t help it that he went to Oxford.”

Eggsy nearly choked on his last bite of flake when he began to laugh. 

“I’m a little bit serious. Percival might have ended up a don if Kingsman hadn’t called him. We were in the same cohort, so I knew who my rivals were. I’d say at that point we were equals on education, though in wildly different fields. He’s Oxford, too, with a congratulatory first in law. Roxy took an upper second, but I spoke to her tutors and they agree with her own assessment that if she’d focused more on her studies rather than sports, she’d have taken a first.”

“An’ Tristan?”

“Bachelor of Engineering in Computing. I trust him to test our security measures, and, in one case, to design them.”

Eggsy’s jaw dropped. “I thought you and Vivienne were the only ones allowed to touch the computer systems at that level.”

“If something were to happen to me, the Lady would be the interim Merlin and Tristan would be pulled home to cover the computer systems until a replacement was found.”

“That’s… Just don’t let anything happen, okay?”

Merlin said, “I’ll do my best.”

Eggsy nodded at the giant chess set and said, “Would you like to have a go?”

“Why not? And be thinking what kind of food you’d like for dinner tonight.”

“That’s easy. I could murder a curry.”

***  
When they woke up the next day, Merlin walked him through the city. They did the usual things, the Fitzwilliam, Parker Library, King’s College chapel and the backs, but Merlin was able to explain the significance of all of it in his life. They took a punt out and had sandwiches for a simple lunch about halfway through it all.

Eggsy had never seen Merlin in full academic robes. The Master teased him that he should wear his Cambridge scholar’s gown rather than regalia from University of Edinburgh. Originally, she’d been a little distant with Eggsy, but seeing him in evening clothes seemed to reassure her. Eggsy had whispered to Merlin as they went into hall, “Shall I eat the soup with my fingers?” and been rewarded with Merlin trying to stifle a fit of the giggles. Fortunately, they went away before, at the Master’s behest, Merlin led the traditional Latin grace. 

“Did you eat like this every night?” Eggsy asked across the table.

“My first year, yes, because I wouldn’t have had food otherwise. Though it’s rarely this formal or plentiful. I was able to loosen my purse strings more the second and third years because I was awarded a bursary to cover my books and academic expenses.”

The Master said, “It was a terrible blow to the college and the university when Mister McKnight chose to attend Edinburgh rather than stay with us for his advanced degrees. We should have at least matched their offer for scholarship and expenses.”

Merlin said, “It would have made the decision harder, certainly.”

The conversation became more general quickly. The evening ended with brandy and coffee in the Fellows common room and Merlin and Eggsy followed the Master back to her home when she left.

The moment they were behind closed doors, Merlin pounced. He pressed Eggsy against the wall and said, “I’ve been wanting to do this all evening.”

Eggsy raised an eyebrow, “Have you? Why?”

Merlin’s tongue traced the line of his jaw up to his ear. “There’s so much strength in your face, and, with the stiff front shirt, it made you look timeless in the candlelight.”

Eggsy turned his head for a kiss and said, “And what about you, Mister McKnight with your fancy robes. I knew you had degrees, but I didn’t think they were such a big deal.”

Merlin shook his head. “You amaze me,” he said as he began to undress his lover. “Do you want to know the moment where you were most in danger of being ravished on the High Table?”

Eggsy laughed. “‘M sure that would have violated Harry’s dictum about names in the paper.” He pushed Merlin’s jacket off his shoulders and added, “But yes. Was I to be an hors d’oeuvres or dessert?”

“It was toward the end of the second course when I heard you discussing the mutual influences of psychology, music, and the visual arts on each other during the Art Nouveau era. You have such a good mind.”

“Ev’n if it’s untrained an’ I couldn’ tell you what number theory is when it’s at home?”

Merlin dragged his lips across Eggsy’s forehead and said, “Frankly, most mathematicians don’t understand number theory.”

Eggsy captured his lips and pushed back, rutting against his leg and trying to find more bare skin.

Merlin braced his hands against Eggsy’s hips and said, “None of that. Let me love you tonight.”

A deep sigh came from Eggsy, and he nodded. 

“Listening to you shine, your intelligence, your voice…”

“My voice does it for you, my lover?” 

Merlin began to divest him of the rest of his clothes and said, “It’s one part of a very attractive package.” He cupped Eggsy’s cock through his underclothes getting a chuckle from him. “All of you, _mo chridhe_ , is what I love. Beauty of form, beauty of mind, and, I think, beauty of soul.”

“How can you love me so much?”

“I ask the same question,” Merlin said as he led Eggsy to their bed. 

They made love quietly. Eggsy opened for him, welcomed every touch with awe and wonder until he bit Merlin’s shoulder to muffle his cries when he came. Merlin left bruises on Eggsy’s arms when his own orgasm racked through him until he went boneless. In the quiet, still moments afterward, they shared caresses and low murmurs of love.

***  
Their final day in Cambridgeshire, they rented bicycles. Their first stop was at Anglesey Abbey where they wandered around for an hour or so before biking to Ely.

They stopped first at Oliver Cromwell’s house, prompting a round of amused remarks from Eggsy about what the table would be like if they were the “Roundheads Men” instead.

Afterward, they walked through bookstores before stopping at Ely Cathedral. 

“What is it with you an’ cathedrals?” Eggsy asked.

“Not every cathedral. Wells and this one are ingenious.They found solutions to difficult problems.”

“Okay, the weight of the tower created that interesting arch at Wells.” They walked into the cathedral and Eggsy craned his neck to look up. “The tower here seems intact, and don’t see anything different about the arch.”

Merlin tugged his hand and they walked all the way to the transept. 

Eggsy’s jaw dropped and he sat in one of the pews, just staring upward. 

“The great lantern of Ely. In the early 1300s the tower collapsed. It may have taken down a couple of the bays, too, but no one’s positive. The master builder of the time was Alan of Walsingham and since no one could decide whether it was the soft land or a structural issue which caused the collapse, he decided not to rebuild the tower. Instead, we get this.” 

“Never seen nothin’ like it.”

“Almost makes one believe in God?” There was amusement in Merlin’s voice.

“Nah, this is the work of men -- men’s minds an’ hands -- nature might make me believe in God.”

“Nature. Then how about the fact that this couldn’t be built the same way today. There are no trees tall enough to provide the structure.”

“Shut up. This thing’s amazin’.”

“Which is why,” Merlin said, “I come to cathedrals, at least the ones with interesting engineering.”

Eggsy glanced around to make certain no one was looking and gave Merlin a quick kiss. “Tell me all about it.”

***  
They biked back by a different route and had an early supper at The Old Crown in Girton before completing the final four miles to the bicycle return. They spent the evening alternating playing chess against the master and reading before heading upstairs to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still want to embed photos if anyone can help me. My direct email is in my profile.


	3. Edinburgh and points north

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a very talky chapter.

After the intellectual joys of the two university towns, they made their way north. Rather than do a full day of driving, they stopped at a country house hotel near York before taking their time exploring anything Eggsy thought sounded interesting on the way to Edinburgh. Merlin even stopped at Rosslyn chapel because Eggsy's heard about it in _The Da Vinci Code._

The city itself seemed to puzzle him. When Merlin asked, he said, “The castle and the rock it’s on, makes things feel wild, and then there’s this huge bit of land, dead in the middle of town that no one’s usin’. Don’t make sense.”

“It’s not that big, probably less than forty acres. We back onto Regent’s Park which is over ten times that.”

Eggsy looked stubborn. “It don’t feel as big somehow.”

“London has about twenty times the population of Edinburgh, maybe that’s it. It feels bigger because the city around it is smaller, like an optical illusion.”

Eggsy brightened at that. “Makes sense, I guess. It’s beautiful, too. The whole city is beautiful.”

“Well, this part, certainly. We’ll head to the university after breakfast tomorrow and then spend a couple of days as tourists. Castle or Holyrood House in the afternoon, that’ll be up to you.” 

“Castle. Never been to a real one.”

“Did they never take you on a school trip to Greenwich or Hampton Court?”

“Not posh enough. But even if we were, those are palaces, right? Not the same thing.”

Merlin chuckled. “Yes, Tower of London would be the place in London most like Edinburgh Castle, though I think they’d both be appalled at the comparison.”

There was a loud boom and Eggsy said, “For fuck’s sake, what the fuck was that?”

Merlin didn’t try to hide his amusement. “The one o’clock gun. It lets everyone sync watches to local time. It was more important in the nineteenth century when there was shipping. Now, it’s more of a memoriam to those times.”

“Couldn’t ring a bell? It had to be a fuckin' great gun?”

“The sound carries farther. Or maybe it’s so that it’s distinct from any parish bells.”

Eggsy was still frowning like the gun had been a personal attack. 

“Feel like taking in an art museum or seeing Saint Giles today?”

“Art museum.” He kissed Merlin’s cheek and they walked to the National Gallery.

***  
After walking through some of the university, they headed to the Royal Mile. Eggsy stopped them before they turned to the castle, and said, “Changed me mind. Let’s do Holyrood and the John Knox House today, and Saint Giles and Edinburgh Castle tomorrow morning.”

Merlin nodded. “We can probably squeeze in Saint Giles today, even. Why?”

“Well, if Scotland’s devolved, I should know about it’s parliament. The website said the John Knox House is the only piece of medieval Edinburgh left…”

“Other than some attitudes,” Merlin quipped. He was delighted when Eggsy laughed.

“An’ Saint Giles is the head church or whatever it’s called of the Church of Scotland. Seems like they’re all important.”

“They are. No reason we can’t do them. Holyrood shouldn’t take more than an hour or two. Not all of it is open. I don’t think the Princess Regent or the Moderator of the Church are in residence. Let’s go.”

For the rest of the day, Merlin answered questions about Scottish politics, religion, history, and mores. 

The following morning, after a five mile run via Arthur’s Seat and the Meadows, they headed to Edinburgh Castle, but before they went in Eggsy stopped in front of the Camera Obscura and said, “Oh, we got to do this.” 

Merlin looked appalled. “It’s expensive and loud and touristy.”

“And it’s early enough that there’s no kids. We can afford it. An’ I never been in a camera obscura. Can’t even figure how it would work.”

Merlin sighed and said, “If I see more than two five year olds, we head out.”

“Just want to spend an hour, honest. Could be less,” Eggsy said as he bought their tickets.

They skipped over the exhibits which were obviously aimed at children and headed straight for the camera obscura. Eggsy watched people going about their business, unaware that everything they did could be seen in a darkened room. He asked Merlin about how the optics worked, and then, very quietly, he asked about the history of cameras obscura. 

“Hold on. You’re sayin’ people were talkin’ about these things in Ancient Greece? Why haven’t I heard about them?”

Merlin smiled. “It’s a trick of the light. A useful one for scientists like Kepler to use to further our understanding of optics, but it has no intrinsic use. Why would anyone have discussed them in your schools?”

Eggsy just nodded. They stayed awhile longer and then he said, “Let’s just hit the roof and see the city before we go onto the castle.” Once they were up there, he said, “Why does it feel different? From England, I mean. It’s not foreign, really, but it’s different an’ I can’t tell why.”

“It’s wilder, though thanks to the big estates it’s a somewhat tamed wilderness. Other than that, I don’t know. What makes someone feel that they’re a citizen of a particular place?”

“I’m not certain that I feel it for England. I mean, I know I’d never turn traitor, but I don’t feel tied to it the way the politicians an’ everyone expects, the way Roxy does. Here, though, I can feel it in others. ‘M I makin’ sense.”

Merlin said, “Yes. I know there are people who would say that you don’t feel it because you never had a war or a crisis where you had to rally ‘round for Queen and country.”

“‘Cept I was willin’ to be a marine, an’ I’d say there was more than a little rallyin’ ‘round when seven-seven happened or after V-day.”

“I don’t agree with them.”

“Don’t worry, my love, you made that clear.”

Merlin nodded. “I think it’s the fact that so much of London is divided, mostly on money lines. It could be class, but I think, rather like the Americans, it’s more haves versus have-nots than workers versus aristocrats.”

“You sayin’ there are poor aristocrats?”

“You might be surprised. Probably none that are actually deprived the way someone from your neighborhood would be, but death duties and bad investments have put a great many on their uppers. London in the early 1980s, when I first went -- very briefly on my way through to training in Devon -- then it was class lines more. It may also be that the smaller size of the cities other than London mean they can specialize more. Glasgow is aggressively middle class, probably because it is remembered for the worst slums in Europe. Edinburgh thinks of itself as intellectual. The competition between them, though, is based in the arts, with Edinburgh having the festival and the fringe and Glasgow being more oriented toward the visual arts. None of which is really answering your question.”

“No, but it’s interestin’,” Eggsy said. “An’ it let’s me think a bit ‘bout the differences between class an’ money an’ me own reactions to what I’m seein’.” He made certain they were alone and kissed Merlin lightly. “Let’s see the castle.”

“You know there’s an old phrase about England -- as in the Empire -- not being England without Welsh music, Irish writing, and Scottish engineers, or Scottish soldiers depending on where you’re reading it. That may be why it’s more difficult for you to feel English. The English were the commanders, you see, but that’s not a side you’ve ever been allowed to cultivate.”

“Lots to think about.”

***  
The drive from Edinburgh to Elgin astonished Eggsy. The vast swathes of gorse and fields, sheep and grouse, the hills and the glimpses of the coast in the distance moved him deeply. “This the Highlands?” he asked.

Merlin smiled. “People draw the lines differently for different purposes. Technically, we’re in the Lowlands, just on the edge,” he gestured toward his left, “but I promise you that our return trip will take you through the true Highlands.”

“We’ll stop off and see Nessie?”

Merlin said, “No. Or at least we may see the loch in the distance, not close by, if the weather holds.”

“Sounds good, my lover.”

Merlin said, “It always gives me a thrill when you call me that.”

“I’ll remember it.” Eggsy picked up the old ipod Merlin had in the car and said, “Which playlist?”

“Do you want instrumental or vocal?”

Eggsy looked out the window and said, “Instrumental. You decide -- classical or jazz.”

“Let’s go for something native. Play Scottish classical.”

Eggsy raised his eyebrows, but listened attentively as the first notes of _The Land of the Mountain and the Flood_ filled the car.

***  
They got to the bed and breakfast in the late evening. The proprietors had a simple spread laid out for them and then headed to their own home elsewhere on the property. 

“Is it just us here?”

“No,” Merlin said, “They’re full up, which means all four rooms, but I didn’t know when we’d arrive so I paid extra to have a picnic waiting instead of the dinner we’ll have tomorrow night. They did well.”

Eggsy took a bite of cold poached salmon and said, “I’d’ve settled for a pack o’ Hobnobs. This is really good.”

Afterward, they rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher before heading up to their room.

“Tell me what I’ll see tomorrow,” Eggsy said.

“Probably not much. We can walk around the campus, probably, after we’ve let the right people know we’re there. I want to show you where the rescue boats are kept and, if you want, take you up into the hills and show you where I learned orienteering.”

“Rescue boats?”

“The school’s run a Coastguard rescue service since the 1940s, and the mountain rescue and fire departments are accredited.”

“They’re kids.”

Merlin nodded. “Starts in year eleven, when you’re fourteen.” 

“Were you fourteen?”

“Yes, though the school starts teaching the basics much younger. Well, they have to, just for safety.”

“‘At’s… in my year eleven I think I learned how to roll a ciggie one handed.”

Merlin brightened. “Really? I never mastered the knack.”

“Hope I never need it again, but I’ll show you sometime if you like.”

“You were never a tobacco addict?”

“Never any kind o’ addict. Tried a few things, includin’ tobacco. Didn’t like the way it smelled or tasted.”

“Grass smells worse.”

“An’ hash smells worst of all, but at least with that you get somethin’ more from it.”

“I didn’t smoke -- cigarettes -- until university. Didn’t do it long, though stopping was harder than I thought it would be, but I loved the way it felt, simultaneously relaxing and intellectually stimulating.”

“Y’re jokin’.”

Merlin shook his head. “No.”

“Quit for your health?”

“In a way. Risk of lung cancer wasn’t a huge thing on my radar, but the first time I got winded on a five mile run I stopped cold turkey.”

Eggsy nuzzled him. “An’ how long did that take?”

“Less than six months. I don’t think I smoked more than two packs a week, though I did go to roll-ups pretty quickly when I realized how expensive the packs were.”

“Scottish thrift,” Eggsy said.

“Cheeky, aren’t you?”

“Well?”

“Student thrift, more like. I’d just bought more tobacco, but gave it to a friend who’d been smoking since he was fifteen along with the few rolling papers I had left. Took me to the pub for a thank you.”

“Hard to quit?”

“Horrible. I was a mess for a month or more, but I clung to the fact that my runs and weight work were improving again. Eventually, that was enough. What about you and … ”

“Never really used anything too addicting. Not goin’ to touch heroin, ‘cause I ain’t an idiot. Din’t like tobacco when I tried it, an’ couldn’t afford grass too often. Only one I loved, was ecstasy, an’ that’s not good without other people around. So a few parties or raves a year, but, yeah I loved how I felt on it. Not addictive in the same way tobacco is, though. Now, sex? _That_ I got addicted to an’ with you lyin’ next to me, pretty sure that one ain’t goin’ away.”

“What do you want?”

Eggsy hesitated. Finally he said, “How’d’you feel about sixty-nine?”

“Can get confusing, but it’s certainly fun. Also, it’ll keep you from scandalizing the other guests.”

“I can be quiet.” 

“Can? Maybe. Are? No.”

Eggsy started to giggle as he leaned in for a kiss. “Then shut me up.”

***  
They rented bicycles to ride the just over eleven miles to the school. Merlin checked in at the gate, and they were taken to the headmaster’s office for a brief discussion. 

Afterward, they walked around the campus, listening to lessons drifting out through the windows. 

“Ain’t it too cold for that?” Eggsy asked the third time they passed one.

Merlin shrugged. “The walls are thick and hold heat. Keeping a small window open makes sure that the students don’t fall asleep before they’ve had breakfast.”

“You’re jokin’?”

“No. My second year was the first where we were allowed hot showers in the morning. I don’t know if they still do the mile run before the first class of the day. For that matter, they may get to eat breakfast before the first class.”

Eggsy just stared at him. “You woke up, ran a mile, had a cold shower -- winter, too?” Merlin nodded and Eggsy continued, “ _then_ had your first class of the day, all before breakfast.”

“Chapel was in there, too. And I did just say I was in the first year where warm showers were permitted.”

“Still. Fuckin’ hell. No wonder you thought the Marines was easy.”

“Different boarding schools have different cultures. This school emphasizes heartiness -- or physical health is probably a better way of putting it -- and service, hence the fire department and ski rescue and Coastguard.”

“An’ intellectually?”

“Hard to tell how we compare. The school doesn’t participate in the league tables. I know that I benefitted greatly, but I also knew, because adults had told me, that brains were the way out of the Gorbals and into a better life for my family.”

Merlin indicated a path, and they started toward the area where the rescue boats were kept.

“Did it work? Better life for your family?”

Merlin thought seriously. “Yes, but not in the ways people thought it would.”

“Like?”

“I never supported them,” He said frankly. “But Mam could afford more food for herself and Laire on her salary with me away. Her work to get her secretarial certifications had a great deal to do with it, of course, but my not being there was one less mouth to feed and one less headache for her to worry about. In the military, I sent a third of my pay to them. It wasn’t much, but Laire was at an age where having a nice dress for dances and maybe a bit of pocket money could make a huge difference for her socially. Not debutante socially, of course, but just -- she wouldn’t be lumped with the poor kids and that helped. University was a financial loss for them since I needed to live off my savings, though Laire got her own scholarship to nursing school which helped her. Once I became Merlin, and this really was my first civilian job…”

“Started at the top?”

“That’s certainly one way to look at it. With Kingsman, I was able to be a good uncle to Laire’s kids. I paid for some extras, music lessons for both of them, team t-shirts or cleats, things like that. And every year, on their birthdays and at Christmas, I put £100 into a high interest savings account in their names, so when they left secondary school, they had options. Laire wouldn’t let me do more, and to be fair, her husband is a doctor.”

Eggsy said, “But she might not’ve had the opportunity to meet ‘im if you hadn’t taken off some of the financial pressure so she could get into that nursin’ school, yeh?”

“I don’t know. Mam was, still is, amazingly strong willed. If the idea for the scholarship hadn’t come up, times would have been tougher, but I’m reasonably certain the family would have gotten out of the Gorbals. I’d likely be a teacher or something, though. Gordonstoun made the military seem like an attractive option.”

“Did you ever think of stayin’ in?”

Merlin said, “I knew I wanted university, but when I went to request separation from the service, my lieutenant asked whether officer training could keep me in.”

“It obviously didn’t.”

“Had they agreed to let me go to university as an officer, I’d’ve stayed. That was the first time I met Harry, by the way. He liked my record enough to invite me to compete for the Percival slot when it opened -- not by death, the agent was fifty five and decided to retire.”

“So how long between leavin’ the service an’ competin’?”

“About three years. And, no, Harry hadn’t kept in touch or anything. It was an utter shock to see him standing outside my college leaning against a tree.”

“Did a lotta leaning, did Harry.”

“Remind me to show you his glasses feed for when he met you.”

“Checked me out?”

“Maybe, but not obviously. No, it was more his trying to figure out the best way to look when he greeted you so that you’d be suitably awed.”

“Guess I disappointed him.”

Merlin shook his head. “No, I don’t think you ever did, not really, in spite of his yelling at you. Now, I can say that _I_ checked you out.”

“Did ya now?”

“You know you’re good looking.”

Eggsy bumped his shoulder. “You’re pretty damn’ handsome yourself.”

They walked a little way along the beach looking out to the Moray Firth. Eggsy kicked his shoes off and went up to the water’s edge. “This is fuckin’ freezin’!” 

Merlin laughed. “What did you expect from the North Sea?”

He ran back and put his shoes back on. “They send kids out to rescue people in this kind of water?”

“Usually in far worse weather. We’re all taught to swim at least.”

“Crikey.”

“You’re shivering. Are you up for one more place to see?”

“‘Course I am.”

Merlin took his hand and led him toward the forest. 

“This where you learned orienteering?”

“Yes. But that wasn’t the important bit.” Merlin ducked around a rock and up the hill further until he found a cave mouth.

“Private place to study?”

“Studying I could do in my room, but there were five us in there.”

Eggsy looked him dead in the eye and said, “This is where you came for a _wank?_ ”

Merlin laughed. “Yes. Not often, obviously, but when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I’d figure out how to come up here…”

“An’ what’s the old term, ‘have a date with Rosie Palm?’”

“‘And her five daughters.’”

“Sorry that I’m laughin’, love. It ain’t funny. Even in our flat, I had a nice warm closet to hide in, if Mum and her boyfriend weren’t out.”

“There’s something to be said for _al fresco_.” 

Eggsy stopped and said, “Want me to get on my knees to prove it?”

Merlin shook his head and pushed Eggsy until his back was against the cave’s wall, then he dropped to his knees. “Not what I was thinking, no.” He rubbed his cheek against Eggsy’s thigh. “May I?”

“Yes, please.” Eggsy cupped Merlin’s chin and turned his face up so their eyes met. “You sure?”

“Absolutely,” Merlin said. He turned his head to kiss the palm of his lover’s hand and Eggsy put his hands behind his back. Merlin opened both their flies and pulled Eggsy’s penis out through the opening. “Should I unbutton you, too?”

“Please,” Eggsy said, never taking his eyes off him.

Merlin began by licking up and down Eggsy’s length before taking just the head into his mouth to suck lightly.

Eggsy’s first moan made Merlin look up. Eggsy was staring at him in wonder. 

Merlin took him deeper using one hand to control depth and began to stroke himself with the other. He took Eggsy deep and swallowed around the head a few times before setting a pace he knew his lover adored. 

It didn’t take long before Eggsy’s thighs were trembling. He said, “Merlin, ‘bout to…”

Merlin held his eyes and blinked.

Eggsy’s orgasm crashed over him and he filled Merlin’s mouth. 

Merlin held him there a few moments longer while he stroked himself to his own climax. 

Once he let his lover’s cock slip from his mouth, Eggsy was kneeling in front of him, kissing him fervently. “Thank you.”

Merlin rubbed noses with him and said, “What for?”

“For that. An’ for sharin’ your life with me.”

“It’s not a hardship.” He kissed Eggsy and began putting them both back together. “I’m sorry that we’re not stopping in Glasgow, but..”

“You’re not out to your Mam. I understand, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“I didn’t live through havin’ to be in the closet. I can’t really get it, even though I know there’s still people as likely to throw a bottle an’ shout ‘faggot’ as think it’s okay to see two men kissin’.”

“It’s very different now. Thank you for not pushing.”

“Now if I still haven’t met her when we been together ten years, we’ll have words, you an’ me.”

Merlin grinned at him and said, “Fair enough.” He wrapped an arm around Eggsy’s shoulders and said, “Back to the hotel?”

“Yeah.”

“Eggsy? You’ve hesitated a couple of times in the last week or so. About sex. You’re not...”

“Look at me, Merlin. I will never let you do anything with me that I don’t want one hundred percent. I’ve seen what it can do, with me Mum and some of the families on our estate, right. I can say no -- an’ I will -- if I don’ want somethin’.”

“But you have hesitated.”

“We have a five hour drive tomorrow. Can we talk then?”

“Of course, _mo chridhe._

“You know you’ve never told me what that meant.”

Merlin pulled him close and they started to walk back to their bikes. “It means ‘my heart.’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found out over the weekend that the Prince Of Wales has called Gordonstoun, "Colditz in kilts."


	4. The Highlands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter with a great deal of talk. And stargazing.

Merlin took the wheel the next morning and began the longer, more picturesque, route to Inverarnan in the West HIghlands. They’d wandered around Elgin after returning their bikes and been back to the hotel for a beautifully cooked dinner. Everything had been easy -- talking about the books Eggsy was reading or the flavors of the food, making love before falling asleep -- but Merlin had a low undercurrent of dread about the discussion they were going to have. 

After about half an hour of watching Eggsy take in the scenery and listening to jazz, he finally bit the bullet. “We were going to talk about hesitation.”

“Yeah. We were. I’ve just been tryin’ to figure out what to say.” 

“Come to any conclusions?”

“That questions is probably better at first.”

Merlin nodded. “So ask.”

“Are you exclusively a top?”

“What?” That hadn’t been expected at all.

“Do you only top?”

Merlin thought about the eight or so months they’d been together. “No. I… No.”

Eggsy smiled. “Good. Not that it wouldn’t’ve been okay if you were.”

“What would you have done in that case?”

He winked. “Asked for birthdays, Christmas, and Bank Holidays and settled for me birthday.”

Merlin laughed, acknowledging that some of it was relief. “Why hasn’t this come up before?”

“We weren’t living together? ‘At’s prolly part of it. But I have to ask, if you’re not… I mean, there’ve been a couple of times when things started for me an’ next thing I knew I was ridin’ you or under you -- an’ Merlin, never for one moment think that wasn’t where I wanted to be.”

“Would it hurt you if I talked about Harry a little?”

Eggsy said, “No. I know he’s part of your past.”

“And you regret he wasn’t part of yours?”

“Not really. Other than sayin’ -- an’ meanin’ -- that I wish we’d kissed at least once, he was never more than a crush.”

“We were never exclusive, but Harry and I were together, off and on, for twenty-five years, maybe a bit less.”

“Okay.”

“No, you don’t understand. Harry thought he was straight until I bedded him as part of my seduction unit.”

Eggsy laughed. “I’d never have had the balls to approach someone at the table, not even Harry. ‘Course, you was closer in age.”

“Yes, but I’ve also never had a problem with someone telling me no, so it’s usually worth asking. Did that make sense?”

“Yes. So, you an’ Harry.”

“After I became Merlin, Harry was assigned his first male honeytrap, and he asked me to teach him. Before that, I think I was probably mostly a bottom. But once Harry discovered that he liked men as well as women, well… I guess it was because he topped with his college girls. When he came to me, he wanted cock. That sounds…”

“Like Harry was a bit of a wanker.”

Merlin chuckled. “I doubt Harry ever wanked. Too many people were throwing themselves at him.”

“C’n see that an’ all. But I’d say the same of you, y’know. If you ever slept alone, it was prob’ly your choice.”

“It was. I need more connection. I couldn’t just have a roll in the hay and then show someone the door or, worse, zip up my trousers and leave.”

Eggsy went still. “Does my past bother you?”

Merlin reviewed his previous statement and resisted the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel. “No. I wish it hadn’t happened, because no fourteen year old should be responsible for making his family’s rent payments, and certainly not on the game. But it doesn’t seem to have damaged you psychologically -- and that’s Merlin speaking, not just your lover -- I see that as being part of what makes you such a good man.”

“I hope I am, but a triple digit body count -- not countin’ the heads that exploded -- says it ain’t likely.”

“You’ll go mad if you keep track.”

“I’ll go mad if I don’t. My biggest fear is that I’ll stop thinking of people like they’re people. They’ll be means to an end or puzzle pieces to be locked into one space or chess pieces on a game board. If I’m goin’ to be responsible for takin’ life, then I have ta know they _had_ lives.”

Merlin nodded. “I know you sometimes fear you’ll end up like Chester. From knowing him for nearly thirty years and reading back to his earliest days with us, I don’t think he ever once thought of the lives behind the killshots. Don’t lose that, and you’ll be fine.”

“So where we goin’ today?”

“This mostly, seeing the Highlands. We can stop anywhere you’d like to see more or any place you want to take a short hike. There’s a place I’d like to stop for lunch around Pitlochry. We can walk part of the Rob Roy Way. As long as we’re in Inverarnan by six, the time is ours.”

“And what’s in Inverarnan?”

“I’ve reserved us a crofter’s cottage for two nights. It’s over a mile from the next dwelling. I thought we could just enjoy the fresh air and quiet.” 

“Lie on our backs and count the stars?”

“Do you enjoy astronomy?”

Eggsy chuckled. “Don’t know much about it, really. But when we were in Devon for training…” He shook his head. “I didn’t know there were that many stars. Any night I could, I watched the stars. I can pick out a couple of constellations. Can tell Venus from Mars without glasses. And the one time I took out field glasses… I saw something near Jupiter. Took me ten minutes to realize it was one of its moons.”

Merlin smiled. “If you like… look, I had several ideas for the ‘fourth place,’ I was going to give you a few choices, but we could do an observatory on our perambulations. There’s one in Galloway Forest and Keidler’s in Northumberland. With permission from Arthur I could probably get us into the more exclusive parts of Joddrell Bank.”

“Perhaps after our crofter’s adventure. What are some of the other choices?”

“Isle of Man, which might be better another time. It doesn’t look that different from Scotland. Anywhere along the south coast or Cornwall, Wales maybe, or even the Channel Islands would be good. Man has a role in my life, however brief, but really, we’ve covered everything before London already. For that matter we could play tourist in London, you show me some of your favorite places and I’ll share some of mine.”

Eggsy said, “Let’s put that last one on hold for weekends or other days off.”

“Fair enough. The rest?”

“Which of the Channel Islands is least like the rest of the UK?”

“I’d have to think about that. Probably Herm, but Guernsey or Jersey might be better entrees. Sark’s unique.”

“Maybe that or Wales. We’ll have touched three cultures that way.”

“There haven’t been any calls. Do you want to ask for a fourth week?”

Eggsy thought for a moment and said, “Let’s wait until after our days walking the Highlands to make that decision.”

Merlin said, “Fair enough.”

***  
The cottage had been aired out with fresh sheets on the bed. The water had to be pumped, but there was a battery operated cistern it could go into to be heated before a shower or washing dishes. Merlin cooked a simple soup in the fireplace and made oatcakes on the griddle to have with it. There were kerosene lamps for light after the sun went down. They left one hanging outside the door and went out to watch the stars come out.

“Looks like Venus is still the evening star,” Eggsy said, pointing at a large steady light well up from the horizon. He glanced around and finally settled on one section of the sky. It took him a moment, but he smiled and said, “An’ that’s Mars, you can really see the red tonight.”

Merlin held him and listened as he pointed out the few constellations he knew. 

“There’s… I think it’s Jupiter. Could be Saturn, I guess.”

Merlin kissed his neck and pointed up and to their right. “ _That’s_ Saturn. You’re good with the naked eye. Better than I am.”

“If that’s Saturn, then that silvery one up there is Uranus? Can that be seen without help?”

“Sometimes. Let me get the field glasses out of the car.”

When he came back, he focused where Eggsy had pointed. “Yes, that’s Uranus.”

“Never seen Neptune or Pluto, but I don’t think those can be seen without help. Don’t know how the ancients saw Mercury. It’s too close to the sun.”

“I have, once,” Merlin said. “Mid nineties there was supposed to be an alignment, the astrologers were all parsing the meaning which is rubbish, but the visual alignment itself was real. A friend of mine who is an astronomer said that if I was outside about half an hour after the sun set, there would be about ten minutes where Mercury would be visible in the alignment below Venus. It was a clear night and for just those few minutes, I saw all of the ancient ‘wanderers’ in a diagonal line from the horizon to about mid-sky.”

“Were you way out in the country?”

“Middle of Hampstead Heath. It was bright enough to see through the light pollution.”

“I’ll have to try it sometime.”

“Dawn is usually easier, he said, but I’ve never been able to find it again.”

Eggsy kissed him. “Then we’ll have to go to bed early to be up at dawn tomorrow.”

Merlin said, “Do you want to see Neptune?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we should stay out at least another half hour.”

Eggsy smiled and said, “I love you.”

“And I you, _mo chridhe_.”

They were quiet together with one or the other picking out a constellation occasionally to point out. They checked the sky and found Neptune, just barely visible through their field glasses. After a little while longer watching the stars, they went inside.

After a very thorough kiss, Merlin said, “What do you want tonight?”

“Quick shower to warm up and then bed?”

“Quicker if we shower together so we don’t have to wait for the water to heat twice.”

Eggsy nodded and filled the cistern while Merlin lit a couple more lamps. When they were clean and ready for bed, Merlin put a few coals into a warming pan and moved it between the sheets for a few moments. Once it was safe, and they’d blown out two of the three lamps, Eggsy pulled Merlin into bed and began to kiss him back into the pillows.

“‘Zere anything you don’t like?”

“Spanking, biting to inflict pain rather than as a way to ride out an orgasm, really anything that could mix up the pleasure and pain signals.”

“You’ll say no, if anything feels at all wrong.”

Merlin said, “Don’t make me give your speech about that back to you.”

Eggsy smiled playfully and said, “Good.” He began to kiss his way down Merlin’s body, deepening some of the exploration he’d done before.

Merlin had reveled in Eggsy’s responsiveness, but hadn’t thought about what it might mean to be on the receiving end of it. Every reaction he had was gauged and more was given when he wanted it, less when he was near his limit on a particular pleasure. Every time Merlin thought he might be near his peak, Eggsy eased up and let him ebb back to a warm cloud of sensation.

The first flick of Eggsy’s tongue over his hole nearly had Merlin ask him to stop, but before the words could be spoken, Eggsy made his tongue firmer. A lubed finger and that thrusting probing tongue prepared him gently but thoroughly.

“What do you like?” Eggsy asked against his ear.

“Hmm?”

“Well, you was just beggin’ for me, so do you want it this way or…” Before he could finish the question Merlin began to turn over.

“Want to see your face,” Merlin said.

Eggsy kissed him and slid between his legs. Guiding himself in, he watched Merlin’s face for each tiny expression and adjusted his pace.

“So thick,” Merlin said.

Eggsy rested his forehead on Merlin’s and said, “More like it’s been twenty years or more for you. I’m ‘bout average.”

“There is nothing average about you, _mo chridhe_ , nothing at all.” He took a couple of deep breaths, relaxing a little with each exhale. After a little wriggle to adjust, he wrapped his legs around Eggsy’s hips and said, “Move.”

Eggsy propped himself up to see Merlin’s face and began to move. Once he hit Merlin’s prostate, he smiled and began a strong rhythm designed to reduce his lover to quivering jelly. His lips traced the orbit of his eyes, brushed against Merlin’s lips capturing his cries and pleasure. Eggsy felt Merlin begin to arch underneath him and sped up, until Merlin came and he followed over the edge.

He slid out carefully, wrapping the condom to dispose of it. He got a washcloth and dipped it in the still-warm water left in the cistern and came back to clean Merlin up.

“God. I didn’t know how much I missed it. That was… _You_ were… I love you.”

Eggsy smiled at him. “Made you incoherent, so I’ll take that as a win. An’ I love you, too. Sleep for a bit, yeah?”

Merlin nodded. “Yeah.”

***  
Eggsy cracked the shutter near the bed and saw that it was about an hour before dawn. He slipped out of bed and pulled on shoes and a blanket from the living room to slip out of the cottage. He faced the east, trying to decide if he was seeing the first glimmerings of false dawn as the stars began to fade on the horizon.

A few minutes later, Merlin came out and said, “Why are we naked under the stars?”

Eggsy offered him one end of the blanket, and they cuddled together. “Thought fresh air might make me sleepy, an’ thought I’d try to see Mercury.”

“You could have woken me. I wouldn’t mind getting fucked again.”

“No.”

Merlin said, “You have a willing -- eager even -- man. Why not?”

“Too soon. Wouldn’t fuck you twice in one night any more than I’d fuck a virgin twice in one night. Let’s see how you feel tomorrow. If you aren’t having twinges, then I’ll throw you down on the bed and have my way with you.”

“You’re an amazingly gentle man.” Merlin kissed him. “So I must return to sleep unsatisfied.”

“Didn’t say that. Anythin’ else you want, I’ll give you gladly.” He rested his head back on Merlin’s chest, eyes still scanning the sky.

Merlin said, “Try up about five degrees and to your right.”

“Got the field glasses handy?”

Merlin walked into the house and picked them up. “Here.”

Eggsy gazed at the small unwavering star, low on the horizon, but not as low as he’d been looking. “It’s Mercury. And it’s only half lit.”

“Like Venus and the Moon, it goes through phases relative to Earth.”

“‘At’s amazin’.”

Merlin took the glasses and watched the planet himself for a couple of minutes.

“My love.”

“Yes.”

“If I hadn’t insisted on the British Isles for our trip, what would you have suggested?”

“There’s a hotel in Provence that I like, or maybe taken you to Switzerland or Venice.”

“Let’s ask for the extra time. That’ll give us two weeks to do those things. ‘Cause that’ll tell me a lot about you, too.”

Merlin kissed him deeply. “Let’s go back to bed.”


	5. Giessbach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next stop is Switzerland.

Merlin had insisted that Eggsy pilot them. The plane had two sets of controls, so Merlin could take over if necessary, but, other than going over the pre-flight checklist with him, Merlin did nothing but give Eggsy the heading. 

“Remember,” Merlin said, “the distance is right at the upper edge of this plane’s range, so if you run into headwinds….”

“Don’t be afraid to stop and refuel.” Eggsy smiled at him. “All the predictions seem calm, but I got no qualms about refuelin’ or askin’ for help, if I need it.” He gave his lover a quick kiss, and began to ask the requisite permissions from air traffic control. 

The flight itself went well. Eggsy handled the plane confidently, for all that he’d only completed pilot training a few months earlier. At the small public airport where they’d landed, someone who had the look of one of the Lady’s people was waiting for them. He drove them to a ferry and, with a tip of the hat, left them and their bags for the next part of the vacation.

“So why’s this place called Interlaken, an’ where are we going?”

Merlin said, “It’s called Interlaken because it’s between two lakes. As for where we’re going, you’ll see in about an hour and a half.”

Eggsy knew he could press, but decided to wait to see. “So, a couple of days wherever we’re goin’ now. What’s next?”

“That depends on two things. If the place I called yesterday gets back to me over the next two days and what you’re interested in. Essentially, from here we can do more in Switzerland or any other part of the Alps.”

“Which means? I know Austria, but is there a bit of Germany, too?”

Merlin nodded. “And a bit of Italy and a bit of France. We can stay quiet or we can do cities or something in between. I don’t know if another two days with quiet and fresh air will relax you more or drive you mad. If I do get a call, we'll be heading toward the south of France.”

“That would be interesting. Haven't seen much of France outside Paris. Can’t imagine bein’ with you would drive me mad. An’... don’t get me wrong, I think you learn a lot ‘bout a country from the cities, but it’s kind of interesting seeing the countryside. The plants don’t even look the same here.”

“They aren’t. Oh, hay for fodder and the grains aren’t that different. Unless global warming gets really awful, we’re never going to grow wheat in Scotland and not much wheat will grow here, either. But the wild plants and the small animals are different. There are some mountains here where each of the four sides has its own microclimate.”

“An’ that’s important?”

“It means that they preserve their meat different ways. One side might be able to handle cows and another only goats. These things matter less in a global economy, but back when travel was difficult and goods didn’t move much, this was life and death.”

The ferry came in and they got on with a few other people. The conductor seemed a little surprised at the destination Merlin named, but Eggsy just smiled and went along with it.

“It’s pretty hot hearing you speak German.”

“That’s the main reason I got my degree in it.”

“Thought your degree was in Maths.”

“I hold two degrees.”

Eggsy thought for a moment. “D’s ‘at mean there’s a lotta German in Maths?”

“Euler, Gauss, Einstein…”

“There’s a whole lotta German in Maths,” Eggsy concluded with a smile. He went back to watching the hills float by, content to be quiet until Merlin tapped his arm and picked up his own bag. “‘Bout time to get off?”

“Less than five minutes.”

They got off at a pier which had a small funicular. Merlin said, “I told them we’d walk up.” 

The route he followed wasn’t long, but it was very steep. To his right, Eggsy heard rushing water, and he glimpsed a tumbling river through the huge trees. When they got to the top of the trail, there was a large hotel. 

“Look to your right,” Merlin said, and Eggsy took in the sight of a steep waterfall.

“I feel… not winded, but like I could be,” Eggsy said.

“I think we need more high altitude training. James lived in the mountains so that he could fight in the mountains if he needed to, but I don’t think any of the rest of the table is really acclimated.”

“Stop bein’ the position a minute, though I definitely agree with you. Got through the Valentine thing on pure adrenalin. Might’ve gone faster if I’d been acclimated to the height.”

“We’ll make the note when we get to our suite and then go back to vacationing. I hope you don’t mind that I requested one of the top floor suites. It faces the lake, not the waterfall, but I’m sure they can change us if you…”

“S’long as they’ll let us sleep together, I don’t care which room we’re in.”

There was an exchange of German at the front desk, too fast for Eggsy to follow, and then they climbed the stairs to the third floor. He stowed both their bags in the bedroom and came out to the living room to just take everything in. “So tell me ‘bout this place.”

“My first time here was the very end of the season before I went to Edinburgh. I’d just washed out of my Kingsman interview and wanted peace and quiet. I’d planned to go backpacking when Harry offered me the chance, so this was the only place I made it. Spent a week taking the various trails, eating good food twice a day and having a glass of wine every evening. They didn’t have the pool then. I slept better than I ever have in my life. Smallest room they offer, backing on the forest, so no real view, but it was the most relaxed I’d ever felt.”

“Think I’m a bit put out on the sleepin’. Thought you’d slept well with me.”

Merlin’s eyes twinkled. “I misspoke. I slept better than I ever had before in my life to that point. Sleeping beside you has been wonderful.”

Eggsy kissed his nose. “‘At’s much better. Any reason you came here?”

“Sherlock Holmes.”

“No, don’t follow.”

“That waterfall and this hotel are the models for the ones where Holmes meets Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls.”

“Some point, I’ll have to read the stories.”

Merlin’s jaw dropped. “You’ve never read Sherlock Holmes?”

“No. Seen Sherlock. Think Cumberbatch has a sexy voice.”

“This has to be remedied.” Merlin went to the bedroom and got Eggsy’s electronic pad. He loaded the complete works of Sherlock Holmes and handed it to Eggsy. “You can start with _A Study in Scarlet_.”

Eggsy pulled himself into full military salute and said, “Yes, sir, Merlin, sir.”

They both burst out laughing.

***   
They went hiking to the top of the (very low) mountain the next day. There was a pine forest off to the right as they came up, and Merlin pulled them into it, off the trail, so they weren’t easily seen.

“Hmm. My turn, I think,” Eggsy said.

“I’d actually thought it would be me on my knees again.”

Eggsy looked at him, thoughtfully, “I’m pretty sure you like the way I suck cock, so why?”

“It’s a turn on for me, but you’re right, that’s not the main thing.” Eggsy would swear he saw Merlin blush slightly before he said, “I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold back, that I’d hurt you.”

Eggsy laughed. “Oh, my lover,” he said, backing Merlin against a tree. “You gotta remember: I’m just as dangerous as you are. True, on me knees, you have the advantage of height and leverage, but I got no problem fighting dirty an’ I got teeth.” He felt Merlin twitch against his thigh as he said it. “Bet you gotta wet spot. That turned you on.”

Merlin rested his forehead against Eggsy’s and said, “It did. I know I trained you, but you look so sweet -- sweeter than Lancelot, I swear -- that I forget just how dangerous you are.” His voice went low in Eggsy’s ear. “I could come just from watching you fight.”

Eggsy kissed him roughly before dropping to his knees. “Anything you want,” he said as he unzipped his lover.

Merlin’s hand clasped the back of his skull. “If I want to just take?”

“Fuck me face? Not a problem.” He kissed the tip of Merlin’s cock and swirled his tongue around the head before taking it in his mouth. He looked up and gave Merlin a wink. Eggsy took a deep breath before Merlin hit his soft palate and swallowed. 

Merlin tightened his hand in Eggsy’s hair and let his hips move in his favorite rhythm, taking because Eggsy had offered. It wasn’t long before he came, plunged deep in Eggsy’s throat. He slid out slowly. “ _Mo chridhe?_ ”

Eggsy’s face was a mess, but he was grinning. His voice was a little hoarse as he said, “Want your hands on me.”

Merlin turned and pressed him back against the tree trunk. Eggsy leaned into Merlin’s shoulder as his frantic hands took down his zipper and pulled out his weeping cock. He didn’t last long. The sounds from his wrecked throat were deep and scratchy as he rode out the pleasure Merlin was giving him. 

They stood together panting for a few minutes before making themselves respectable.

“We can rinse our hands and faces in the waterfall.”

Eggsy chuckled. “Got to be careful though. Don’t want to follow Holmes and Moriarty over Reichenbach.”

Later that night after a good meal and a walk up to the walkway under the waterfall and back, they headed to bed. 

“Don’t understand why it’s two beds pushed together.”

Merlin shrugged. “It’s sensible. Separate bedding means we’re less likely to pass illnesses, and not everyone likes the same type of mattress.”

“Yeah, but it’s harder to wake your lover up for a late night fuck.”

Merlin laughed, but still found himself held close on Eggsy’s chest.


	6. Zurich and Vaduz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are too good to last. Kingsman calls with an assignment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't have the peaceful feel of the others. I debated whether to post it as a separate story, similar to how Winter Vacation takes place during Friends and Family. Let me know if you think I made the wrong choice.
> 
> There's still hot sex.

They were awakened by an alert on Merlin’s glasses about ten minutes before they’d planned to get up.

Merlin put on his glasses and went into work mode. “Of course, Eggsy has a suit with him as do I.” He listened for a moment and was happy to see that Eggsy was pulling their suits out of the luggage and calling the front desk for pressing. “Zurich?” He said, “Two hours by train and only half an hour faster by car.” He could see Eggsy doing a morning body weight workout from the corner of his eye. “An hour.” Eggsy gestured with a thumb down, and Merlin said, “Probably less.” There was a pause, and he said, “Let us know.”

Eggsy raised an eyebrow at him.

“We’ll be back-up for one of Roxy’s projects. She’s in Paris right now and is also covering Brussels.”

“So Zurich.”

“And possibly Liechtenstein. I think Arthur feels guilty though. They’ve extended our vacation another week and not only changed our reservation at La Colombe D’Or, they’re paying for it.”

Eggsy grinned and said, “Put some clothes on so that you don’t scandalize who ever comes back with our pressed suits and shirts and I’ll shower, all right?”

“It’s fine.” He pulled on a t-shirt and the previous day’s jeans. While Eggsy took over the bathroom, he got their equipment out. They’d each been carrying a knife and an easily concealable handgun, but he also dug out the twin Kingsman automatics Eggsy usually carried in a back holster and his own shoulder holster and Kingsman automatic. 

Eggsy came out of the shower just as Merlin draped the pressed clothing on the bed. They kissed lightly, and Merlin went to take his shower.

When he came back Eggsy was already halfway through his transformation from good looking college student (even if he’d never been to university) to elegant gentleman. 

Eggsy caught his stare and said, “Don’t have time for admirin’ today, sadly. Love seein’ you in a suit.” He fixed his cufflinks and donned his vest. “Which tie?”

Merlin said, “The slate blue. The Swiss are very conservative.”

“Four-in-hand all right, then, or do I need to do a full Windsor.”

“Four-in-hand with that suit.”

Eggsy tied the length of silk quickly, buttoned his vest, and slid on his suit jacket. He gazed at Merlin’ in a charcoal suit with a dark green tie which echoed in his eyes. “Very handsome.”

Merlin smiled at him as they began to distribute their other weaponry around themselves. 

Eggsy combed his hair back, tucked a pocket square into his breast pocket, and zipped his travel bag. 

“You look beautifully lethal,” Merlin said. He tapped his glasses and tested both their communications channel and the channel with London. “We’re being met by a sea plane. The pilot will come and clean our room before departing by the ferry. We’re to fly to Lake Zurich and then go to the three banks required. If we need to follow up in Liechtenstein, we’ll take the train.”

“Got it. Wish I had an umbrella.”

Merlin said, “Two will be waiting for us in the plane.”

The double take the front desk gave them gratified Merlin, though the young man at the front door’s open lust for Eggsy roused all sorts of fire in Merlin’s chest. The funicular awaited them.

At the bottom Eggsy said, “May I do the flying?”

“Did we train you on sea planes?”

Eggsy shook his head. “Is it that different?” They watched the Kingsman pilot land.

Merlin said, “Will you follow my guidance?”

“I always do.”

“Take the pilot’s seat,” Merlin said.

***  
At the first Zurich bank, Eggsy made a substantial deposit into one of Kingsman’s accounts while Merlin performed a quick reconnaissance around the building, both by eye and electronically. He shook his head minutely, when Eggsy came out the front and they walked by different routes to the next bank. Merlin took point there. They’d both done basic surveillance before entering, but Eggsy was sent to a position where he could see the entire lobby while Merlin went to the safety deposit boxes. 

The third bank had a few points of interest. Eggsy opened a numbered account for himself with £50,000 in bearer bonds while Merlin checked his own account in another part of the building. They marked it as a potential mark for Lancelot’s attentions, but came out of the bank with no firmer idea of whether or not it was the clearance center they suspected.

Eggsy heard the Lady on comms instructing him to keep walking past the spot where he was supposed to meet Merlin. Several blocks later a Lotus pulled up beside him with Merlin at the wheel. 

Eggsy frowned as he got in and Merlin said, “What’s up?”

“You get to drive this beauty an’ not me. I’ve beaten every single track record.”

“You have indeed. And you’ve never done mountain driving. We need to get to Vaduz quickly, so the experienced driver is taking the wheel. The good news is that I’ll let you drive it back to Interlaken when we’re through. Just promise you’ll go at least twenty clicks slower than you think you can the whole way.”

“Why?”

Merlin gave him a quick glance as they got on the autobahn, “Because I don’t want to fall off a mountain.”

Eggsy nodded. “Fair enough, Guv.”

***  
Almost before they parked the car they knew that this was the main bank for Roxy’s project. They were definitely being observed as they went into the bank, and by mutual consent, it was Eggsy who provided the distraction, once again opening an account and requesting a safety deposit box as well. Merlin quietly took care of some Kingsman business in another part of the bank. 

Eggsy’s business took a little longer than his, but he found a plausible reason to stay in the lobby for the extra few minutes Eggsy took. This allowed them to exit at nearly the same time, though not appearing to be together, and they split up as they left the building.

While they were in the car, Merlin had asked the Lady to provide maps and routes in Vaduz on Eggsy’s glasses so that he could make a quick escape separate from Merlin. Just before they got to the center of town, they’d discussed contingencies, including one where there were multiple observers who might want to question or attack them. 

Eggsy caught two men peeling off the not very subtle group to follow Merlin while another two followed him. The last man must be a coordinator, and, on their private channel, they discussed how to get him to join one or the other group. They needed all of them out of the way.

Each of them curved around a corner a couple of blocks apart. They were no longer running parallel, but coming back together in one of the busier sections of the city.

“Eggsy,” Merlin’s voice came quietly into his ear, “Don’t let either of them touch you. My watch is showing that they have something with a high degree of radiation on them.”

“You think they’ll try polonium poisoning.”

“Or something similar. Just don’t let them touch you. Use the knife in your shoe if you need to.”

Eggsy glanced at his own watch and saw that he and Merlin were only a block apart. “I see local police about half a block ahead. Can you come toward me now?”

“Yes. Don’t be surprised by anything I do, though.”

“Following your lead, Merlin.” He saw a wide alley to his right and noted that Merlin had turned into it from the other end. He made the turn, which isolated his pursuers -- and himself, of course -- from the busy people on the main thoroughfare. 

Merlin walked right toward him and, as they passed each other, yelled for the police. 

Eggsy couldn’t quite follow what Merlin was saying, but he was able to block one of Merlin’s pursuers, just as he reached for his lover. He heard the other man’s wrist crack as he brought the handle of his umbrella down on it. The villain dropped a metal tube and Eggsy kicked it away, noting where it rolled.

Merlin had managed to tangle up Eggsy’s pursuers so that neither of them could hurt Eggsy or himself. The police came around the corner, and Merlin yelled for them again, pointing behind them at the fifth man. 

The police arrested the five men for affray to start with and were discussing other potential charges among themselves. All of the men were carrying unlicensed weapons which wasn’t helping their cases. 

Neither he nor Merlin was so much as frisked. Eggsy heard a reference to “Englisch milord” and realized the policeman was referring to him. Merlin’s German proved to be astonishingly useful and the five men were hauled to a lock-up with the policemen all nodding deferentially to Eggsy as they passed him.

“What was that all about?” He asked as soon as they’d gone.

“They made an assumption about you, and I stated I was your bodyguard. We felt safe splitting up in so well run a country as Liechtenstein, and that you’d hit a panic button which brought me back to you. I’m seen as less than competent as a bodyguard, and you’re seen as a rich young man who has learned basic canne.”

“Canne?”

“A form of savate performed with a cane.” Merlin noticed Eggsy’s raised eyebrow. “Savate’s the French version of kickboxing, and, frankly, we use a great deal of it when we teach you how to wield your umbrellas.”

“Fair enough.” Eggsy said, “There are two tubes near the bricks on this side about two meters to your left. I think they may be the delivery system for the radioactive whatever, so can you check it before either of us touches it?”

Merlin adjusted his watch to Geiger counter mode and bent down by the two shiny tubes Eggsy had kicked away. “Both radioactive.” He stepped away, thumbing his glasses to bring the Lady back online with them. There was a pause that lasted nearly a minute and then an old Deux Chevaux blocked one end of the alley. Two people got out and using special gloves, got the tubes into a lead lined box to be sent back to Kingsman.

Merlin and Eggsy walked out of the alley and Eggsy asked, “Where’s the best hotel in Vaduz?” His eyes raked Merlin’s body.

“I know a nice one that’s close. It’s not the best, but…”

“Can I have you on my cock in under ten minutes?”

Merlin made a low sound in his throat. “God, yes.”

It had taken twelve minutes for them to get to their room, and Merlin could practically feel himself vibrating with anticipation. Eggsy tipped the bellman generously, asking him to be on the lookout for their luggage delivery. When the door finally closed, Merlin could feel the weight of Eggsy’s gaze as his eyes raked his body.

“Put your glasses somewhere they can’t record and strip,” Eggsy said, removing his own glasses and putting them into a protective case.

Merlin just nodded and followed his instructions. As soon as he was naked, Eggsy walked him back into a wall. He didn’t touch Merlin in any way just stood staring into his eyes until Merlin said, “Yes.”

Eggsy’s hands were rough, his need and passion nearly overwhelming them both. Merlin loosened his tie and began to push the jacket off his shoulders when Eggsy pinned his hands behind his back and tossed him face down on the bed.

He made certain he was standing in Merlin’s eyeline and finished stripping, stopping to make certain both their suits were draped in such a way that they wouldn’t wrinkle. Merlin felt the bed dip and Eggsy’s lips at the nape of his neck trailing down his spine, his hands scratching just enough that it didn’t feel either like tickling or pain.

“Stop rutting,” Eggsy said, and Merlin tried to hold himself still even as Eggsy moved further down his body. 

Teeth scraped over Merlin’s bum, still walking the line so that pleasure couldn’t be confused with pain. A tongue flicked between, and Eggsy’s hands pulled him apart, tongue plunging deep into his hole. Once he began to use his fingers, several minutes of heaven later, Merlin was prepared quickly and thoroughly.

“I want to see you,” Merlin said.

“Promise you will,” Eggsy replied as he lined up his cock. “Trust me, my lover?”

“Always. Yes.” He felt Eggsy breach him, knees planted firmly as he thrust a bit deeper, letting Merlin adjust.

“Ready?”

“For what?”

Eggsy hands splayed over his chest as he pulled them both up to a kneeling position. The movement and gravity pressed him deeper into Merlin. “Open your eyes, Merlin, my love,” was whispered against his ear and he saw them both in the mirror over the dresser. “Promised you’d see me.”

“You’re very truthful,” Merlin said, as he leaned his head back to try to kiss Eggsy.

They kissed sloppily and Merlin reached for his cock. 

“Don’t touch yourself, Merlin. Let me give you your pleasure.”

“I…”

“Rest your hands on my hips. May I move?”

“Please,” Merlin groaned.

The position meant that Eggsy stayed deep, jabbing rapidly, stimulating him until he was dripping freely. Eggsy hands moved, one arm draping more tightly across his chest and the other resting near his groin, framing his cock, giving him just barely enough pressure.

Merlin moved his arms a bit higher and pressed his fingertips into the muscles bunching and releasing as Eggsy brought them both to climax. Merlin went rigid, feeling like every cell in his body wanted to still before exploding like a supernova.

He was draped back along the bed gently as Eggsy withdrew from him. Moments later, he was back with warm washcloths and towels, murmuring words of love and passion.

“Tell me I din’t hurt you?” Eggsy said quietly, kissing his temple.

Merlin shook his head languidly. “No. I needed it. I was desperate to feel you inside me. Know…”

“That we’re still alive, without radiation poisoning.”

“Yes. And I do tend to get aroused both by a smooth running operation -- no deaths -- and a man who looks like sin in a suit.”

Eggsy wrapped the washcloths in the towels and dropped them by the bed. They both burrowed under the covers as the sweat on their bodies began to cool, and Eggsy pulled Merlin to pillow on his chest. “Any man in a suit? Never took you for a slut.”

“Not every man. Most men,” Merlin said with a small laugh, “but very few manage to look completely composed and completely dangerous which is why I’ll always follow you home.”

“Or to a random hotel room. Good answer.”

Merlin propped himself on his elbow so he could look Eggsy in the eye. “You do know that I’m completely, utterly in love with you, yes?”

“Never knew what it could feel like two people lovin’ and bein’ loved back. I know ‘cause I’m just as gone on you.” He craned up to kiss Merlin.

They resettled, hands still wandering randomly, as they drifted off for a well earned nap.


	7. Time together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They wander from Swizerland to Italy to France for the last fortnight. This is just little vignettes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if there's anything you want to see, and I'll do my best to find pictures to insert.

Eggsy popped his head out of the pool and hung on the side for a moment. He could see Merlin lying back in a lounge chair turning golden in the late afternoon sun. After deciding not to disturb him, he ducked back under and did another ten lengths without coming up for air.

***  
Their luggage had been delivered to their hotel in Liechtenstein, and someone left the keys to a different car for them. Eggsy’s eyes went dangerous when he saw it. “Woulda liked to try the other one, but this? I’ve never even seen one before.”

“It’s a concept car. It hasn’t been released yet. The Lady must really like you if she’s letting you drive it in unfamiliar terrain.”

“So you’ll let me? Drive it in the mountains?”

Merlin nodded. “Absolutely. Since we have several days before our last hotel is ready for us, I thought we could take a longer route.”

“Like?”

“Dip down into Italy to see both Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. Stay a night or two in either Lugano or Milan, Cruseilles for two nights, a night in Avignon and then down to St. Paul de Vence for a week.”

Eggsy grinned at him. “Do I get to do most of the driving?”

“If you don’t terrify me. It’s two hours to Lugano. We can stay there or go to Milan, it’s your choice.”

“Take it Lugano might be a good place to take a break?”

Merlin said, “We could do that. It’s less than three hours to Lugano, another hour to Milan -- call it five hours total. Stay the night there, then drive up to Cruseilles the next day. That’s about five hours, too.” He hesitated. “We don’t have to come back to the mountains. We can go to Monte Carlo or something rather than taking the long route.”

Eggsy said, “You like the mountains, don’t you.”

“I feel clear, at peace, I guess, when I’m here.”

“Then let’s take the mountain route, my lover. Spend as much time as you like in Lugano and Cruseilles. Don’t have to stop in Milan at all if you don’t want.”

Merlin thought for a few moments. “There’s a smaller city in Italy that I like. It would mean closer to six hours of driving to get to Cruseilles.”

“We’ve got two drivers.”

“Then let me see if I can get a reservation at my favorite restaurant in Lugano and a hotel in Bergamo for a night or two.”

***  
Lunch had taken Eggsy aback. It was some of the best food he’d ever eaten -- probably served in heaven -- and it cost more than his Mum spent on groceries in a month. Merlin had taken over the driving when they left, and they’d discussed the implications, economic and ethical of where the money was spent and what it paid for. Eggsy was left thoughtful for a long time as they listened to a Ramsey Lewis/Dudley Moore/Erroll Garner playlist of Merlin’s.

“How many did Switzerland lose to V-day?” Eggsy asked.

“I’d estimated they’d lose at least thirty percent, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was right around fourteen.”

“Guess the estimate was high because they could throw each other off mountains.”

Merlin smiled. “The estimate was high because they have so many firearms per capita. Look at the United States.”

“Why so many weapons in such a peaceful country?”

Merlin shook his head. “I hope I don’t have a training cohort for a very long time, but if I do, I’m not going to take European history and society for granted.”

“Meanin”?”

“Meaning the Swiss enforce their neutrality with a citizen army. If you’re a man between the ages of sixteen and sixty, you’re trained in basic military maneuvers and you have a military weapon in your home. No one wants to take on people like that.”

“So the fact that they were right at the worldwide percentage is pretty good.”

“It’s excellent. So good that people put forward theories about the mountains blocking the signal, which were patently false.”

“‘Cause if they’d been true other mountainous regions would have had lower death counts.”

“Exactly. In general, mountainous areas were a bit lower than their national averages, but when we looked at the data by population density, it was right where it would be expected.”

“Good to know. So tell me ‘bout where we’re goin’.”

“Bergamo is an industrial town these days. It was conquered a lot in the sixteenth century. It’s quiet. Great food. Our hotel isn’t luxurious, but it’s in the old city at the top of the hill. We can stay an extra day or two if you like it or leave the day after tomorrow.”

“Do they have a museum?”

Merlin said, “It’s smaller than you’d find in a huge city, but it has some excellent art works.”

Eggsy grinned. “Well, that’s tomorrow sorted.”

***  
They’d found a bakery still open near the hotel and bought bread there before going to a shop down the block that had regional specialties for both cheeses and prepared meats. Merlin also picked up a small bottle of grappa (and several large bottles of water) for them to have a scratch meal in their hotel room. Afterward, they’d walked through the old city, holding hands in the deepening twilight. 

“Ain’t been but a few times that I’ve felt a place is old. I know London’s been around forever, but it doesn’t feel like this. Like it all stopped or maybe like it all comes back in the dark.”

Merlin said, “I know what you mean. It’s one of the reasons I love Bergamo. It’s amazingly peaceful for someplace that got invaded so often.”

“So what exercise do you have planned for us tomorrow?”

“Speed run around the city walls. It’s just under four kilometers for a full circuit, so I expect under thirty minutes.”

“Let’s head back to the hotel then, and I can show you what I have planned for tonight.”

***  
By the time they made it to Saint Paul de Vence, they’d stopped for two meals in Michelin starred restaurants, had another two nights in the mountains -- their suite had a fantastic view of Mont Blanc -- and seen the Pope’s Palace at Avignon.

Eggsy was fascinated by Merlin’s choices of what to see and where to eat. His own demands had been simple, he got to drive, and, if there was an interesting art museum or gallery, they’d stop. 

It was the little things that stayed with him. Merlin didn’t seem to realize that he loved roses. Whatever town they were in, they’d end up near rose bushes. That could just be civic gardening, but Merlin always slowed down in the gardens, savoring the scent. Eggsy wasn’t certain Merlin was even aware that he did it. Eggsy could tell that Merlin preferred damask roses to tea roses and wild roses to damask, just from the way he lingered around them.

Merlin savored so many things. They’d had wild strawberries after their meal most nights because they’d just come into season. The little Cavaillon melons were another favorite of his. He loved little luxuries, but had no problem staying at a one star hotel if that was what was available.

Here at their final stop, Eggsy felt like he was really getting to know him. They’d taken little tours to other towns, always in search of an art gallery or restaurant. The original art in the hotel had struck Eggsy with wonder, too. The idea that Matisse would pay for a few nights lodging with a painting delighted him. The owners had taken to him, and, when a guest checked out, would take him in and show him some of the other artworks the hotel had been given over the years.

Merlin had them run to the top of the town twice every day, and they both did thirty laps in the pool before breakfast. 

The second night they were there, he’d been awakened by Merlin getting up for some water. When Merlin realized Eggsy was awake, he’d crawled back in and wriggled close. Instead of fucking him directly, Eggsy had murmured quietly, stroking his skin. With a little lube, he’d slipped between Merlin’s thighs and slowly brought them both to a gentle climax.

Merlin had asked whether he wanted to go to Monte Carlo. For a moment, Eggsy entertained fantasies from James Bond movies, but then he shook his head.

“I love being quiet with you,” he told Merlin. “All the flash… the money…”

“You’ve had a hard time with how much things cost, haven’t you.”

Eggsy leaned into him. “A bit. I mean that lunch in Lugano would have covered my grocery bill for a fortnight, at least. It would’ve covered for me, Mum, an’ Daisy for months. But…”

“But?”

“I saw how many people worked there. It still bothers me a bit. We can take five weeks from our jobs an’ most people can’t afford a fortnight at Butlin’s, but we keep people employed, too. An’ I give a bit to charity.”

“You do. You should organize it better.”

“Like what?”

Merlin said, “Talk to someone about your priorities and funnel your money toward that or, when Daisy goes to school, pay for a poor student to attend, too.”

“I hadn’t thought about that. It’s a good idea.”

“You weren’t a scholarship boy, like I was.”

Eggsy kissed him. “I’ve loved this. I know we won’t always be like this. Stress or whatever will come up, but I feel like having time with you let me know that it can be fixed. No matter what, things between us can be fixed.”

Merlin said, “As long as we listen as much as we talk, you’re right.”

“How will we get home? Do we have to collect the plane in Interlaken?”

Merlin said, “The lad who cleared out our room flew it back to England already. We’ll drive to Paris, leave the car, and take the Chunnel home.”

Eggsy said, “Is there still a ferry?”

“Yes, why?”

“Want to see the white cliffs of Dover.”

Merlin squeezed his hand. “Sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with the final chapter, RtT has gone over 200,000 words. I used to think 6,000 was a long story.

**Author's Note:**

> Immense thanks to Ao3 reader meperson for help with embedding the pictures.


End file.
